It’s probably uncontroversial to say that Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis is not having a good year.
Her prosecution of former President Donald Trump and others for alleged interference in the 2020 election has been undermined by reports about her relationship with her special prosecutor in the case, Nathan Wade.
Willis’ recent testimony on the matter did her no favors, as she came across as foolish and corrupt.
Now there’s a chance that she won’t be the district attorney of Fulton County much longer.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday that Willis now has two challengers in this year’s local elections — one Democrat and one Republican.
Her re-election status went from uncontested to potentially contentious in the space of an hour.
In the Democratic primary on May 21, Willis will face Christian Wise Smith, a progressive former prosecutor and city solicitor who ran against her in 2020.
“Today, I officially qualified for the office of Fulton County District Attorney,” he said in a Friday post on X. “This decision was made with Fulton County residents at heart.
“In the coming weeks, I … look forward to engaging the community and earning the vote in Fulton County.”
Today, I officially qualified for the office of Fulton County District Attorney. This decision was made with Fulton County residents at heart. In the coming weeks, I hope look forward to engaging the community and earning the vote in Fulton County.
— Christian Wise Smith (@chriswisesmith) March 8, 2024
Also Friday, Republican lawyer Courtney Kramer, who worked with Trump’s litigation team in 2020 and handled other election-related matters for the Georgia GOP, filed paperwork to run for Fulton County district attorney, according to the Journal-Constitution.
BREAKING 🚨🚨
Attorney Courtney Kramer @supreme_court1 has qualified to run for Fulton DA in a challenge to #FaniWillis
Kramer pledges to focus on the Atlanta crime crisis, violent crime, human trafficking, organized retail theft
Things that matter most to Fulton residents pic.twitter.com/1yE3bYZyUv
— Phil Holloway ✈️ (@PhilHollowayEsq) March 8, 2024
Republican Courtney Kramer, an attorney, has also entered the race for Fulton DA pic.twitter.com/B0w1ax5QbS
— Tamar Hallerman (@TamarHallerman) March 8, 2024
The newspaper contended that Willis is favored to win because of her public profile and her status as the Democratic incumbent in the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta.
But that public profile has its downside.
Will Fani Willis be re-elected?
Considering Willis is facing disqualification hearings over her relationship with a subordinate, there are probably many voters in Fulton County who want her gone.
In her opponents, we have two candidates whose reasons for running couldn’t be more different.
Wise Smith ran in 2020 on promises of left-wing policies such as ending the death penalty, eliminating cash bail and decriminalizing drug use.
Kramer, by contrast, has accused Willis of turning the DA’s office into a “clown show” and promised to end the prosecution of Trump.
She said of the prosecutor, “The moment she decided to indict President Trump and 19 other defendants was the moment I said I had enough. The resources that were used in that investigation could’ve been used for many other things and been much more beneficial for the citizens of Fulton County.”
As to who is going to win, it’s anyone’s guess.
But one thing is certain: This is not the kind of news Willis wanted to wake up to on Friday.
